For centuries quinoa ("keen-wa"), a member of the Chenopodium family which includes spinach, beets, chard and lamb’s quarters, was the sustaining food of the Incas. It’s amino acid balance is so perfect that the National Academy of Science called it "the best source of protein in the vegetable kingdom." It cooks like rice with a nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture. It is the nutritional equivalent of meat and potatoes both so adding a few vegetables makes a nutritious simple meal.

Amaranth sustained the Aztecs for centuries until Cortez banished it as a commercial crop. Amaranth seeds are small, about the size of poppy seeds. One mature plant may produce half a million seeds. The Aztecs dried the seeds, then cooked them as a hot cereal or ground them into flour. They also cooked the leaves much as we cook spinach or turnip greens. Amaranth contains eight times more iron than wheat and is a rich source of lysine, the amino acid deficient in grains. It is also rich in fiber, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and copper.

Spelt which biologically resembles wheat, is the ancient food referred to in the Old Testament. Spelt contains more vitamins B-1 and B-2 than other grains as well as magnesium and iron. It is easily digested, highly soluble, and many wheat-sensitive individuals seem to tolerate it very well. Spelt flour makes excellent bread because it is higher in gluten than wheat. Kamut is the ancient wheat of Egypt. Each kernel is two to three times the size of a wheat kernel. Kamut is a nutrition powerhouse – it averages 17 percent protein (common wheat averages 8–10 percent), and higher levels of most vitamins and minerals than wheat. It is also extremely rich in amino acids and fatty acids.

No research is necessary to prove that a diet high in meat and refined foods and low in grains, fruits and vegetables is likely to result in gastrointestinal distress and/or disease. There are approximately three pounds of bacteria in the average adult’s gastrointestinal tract. The "friendly" bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, promote good health while the harmful bacteria such as E. Coli and streptococcus, are responsible for illness and disease. Unfortunately, the result of diet and overuse of antibiotics is that the harmful bacteria outnumber the good by a margin of two to one in a "healthy" individual’s gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal tract dysfunction can be linked to almost every health disorder. Obviously, if we cannot break down, absorb and metabolize the nutrients in our food, our bodies become vulnerable to disease. The term dysbiosis is used to describe a situation where pathogenic bacteria dangerously outnumber beneficial bacteria. Dysbiosis plays a role in acne, autoimmune diseases, breast cancer, Candida albicans, chronic fatigue syndrome, colitis, colon cancer, depression, digestive problems, fatigue, food allergy and intolerance, intestinal gas and bloating, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, and premenstrual syndrome.

Fiber Power contains fructooligosaccharides (fruc-toe-oly-go-sack-a-rides) or FOS, a fiber-carbohydrate which occurs naturally in foods. Garlic, honey, rye, brown sugar, bananas, onions, and barley contain trace amounts of FOS, but you would have to eat large amounts to gain a therapeutic dose of FOS. The simple sugars in the food also weakens the benefits of FOS. Fructooligosaccharides taste sweet because they are sugars, but the interesting thing about FOS is that the sucrose molecules are linked together in such a way that the body cannot digest them. They leave the small intestine undigested and arrive at the large intestine where the most important "friendly" bacteria, bifidobacterium, uses them for growth and proliferation.

FOS specifically promotes bifidobacterium, the most significant micro-organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. Studies have shown bifidobacteria can lower cholesterol; prevent food poisoning; reduce the pH in the gastrointestinal tract (harmful bacteria and other pathogens do not thrive in an acidic environment); increase the digestibility of lactose and calcium; make vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, B-12, niacin and folic acid; and create substances that stimulate the natural contraction of digestive tract muscles.

FOS is produced from sucrose fermented by enzymes. The end product is tested for purity and is identical to the FOS found in foods. Technically, FOS is a soluble fiber and contains no calories, but when bifidobacterium consume them, short-chain fatty acids are produced. These fatty acids are absorbed by the walls of the large intestine and used for energy. The calories generated by this biological activity is approximately 1.5 calories per gram. (Fats provide 9 calories per gram, carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram.) Fiber Power is a convenient functional food for everyone desiring optimum health.